Most "bigger" cities in NH have buses as mass transit. If you want access to Boston through mass transit the seacoast has the rail and Nashua has the Boston Express bus line. Manchester, just because of it's population and size, probably has the most services overall.

Sucky weather in NH? Never! I guess it depends on what you call "sucky" and where in NH you are. Inland gets a lot more snow than the seacoast and is colder. Also the more north you go and higher elevation you are the colder it gets. Where I live in Nashua it's usually in the 20ies in the winter, and the 70ies in the summer. With the extremes being around 95 and -5. It does rain quite a bit in NH especially in the fall and spring times, but that's why it's so green. Although the flooding is kept to a minimum by the hilly terrain. I live probably 500 feet or so (not considering elevation) from the Nashua river, which crested at over 6 feet above flood stage (very very rare) this year, but my and almost all of the houses in the area were completely unaffected. If you go near the seacoast the climate is heavily moderated by the ocean. So it's cooler in the summer and hotter in the winter than the rest of NH.

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I am looking at Manchester mainly so far. But I have never been that far NE before. I am looking to come out hopefully by Halloween. Then I will check some things out and get a feel for the place.

Than you for the links B.D. Ross I read through it.

I am from Bremerton in Washington state, so I use the term 'sucks' loosely. We are stereotyped as always having rain despite that we get only 40 inches of rain each year. However what should be stated is that we have a lot of gray days. I believe 40 inches of rain is similar to NH. And it is mild here, not too cold and not too hot. However last summer we got a whole week that was above 100F and most of us nearly melted. Hope that answers you Rich.

More questions:

How many sunny days are there?

I was looking on Google Earth, and it seems like the urban jungle has spread as far north as Manchester. Is it still growing in the area? I like trees and somewhat rural areas I can get to. But I want to balance that with living around people also.

Maybe an apartment or rent a room to start. But eventually I would like a slower paced lifestyle. So if I planted myself in the city it wouldn't be permanent. As my eventual goal is to get into the country.

Is the traffic crazy like I hear Boston is? I don't have proof of the craziness as I have never been to Boston but everyone I have talked to about that agrees driving in Boston is hardcore.

I was looking on Google Earth, and it seems like the urban jungle has spread as far north as Manchester. Is it still growing in the area? I like trees and somewhat rural areas I can get to. But I want to balance that with living around people also.

By comparison, you could fit several New Hampshires into Washington state. Rural areas are easily accessible from NH cities.

NH is perfect for that urban/rural balance if you lean toward rural and not urban. Manchester is a small city and rural is minutes away. Boston traffic and driving is atrocious. Avoid it. Easy to avoid it, too. There are many jobs stretching all the way up into NH.

You have the right idea to find temp housing until you are more familiar with the state. Many of us did the same thing. I think most movers move again after getting here. Don't think one place is better than another until you have been here awhile. Manchester is not better than other places, but it is convenient for checking out the area.

Since we have been here (6 years), I know we have had more than 40 inches precipitation a year. Pretty darn lush in the summers. Something tells me this summer will be hotter and longer than last. This past winter was not severe.

freedomroad

Of the major cities in NH, how is the mass transit, if any? Which city could I move to without a car and still get to necessary services by bicycle, foot or bus?

Depending on where you live in the cities, you should be fine in Manchester, Nashua, Concord, Portsmouth, Dover or Keene.

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I hear the weather sucks in NH? Please explain with temps, precipitation amounts, and generalities.

NH has at least 4 seasons. Winter is cold. The further north and the higher in elevation, generally the colder and more snow. Summer is amazing as is Fall. No need for air conditioning in most of NH. Spring tends to be rainy. In the rural areas, Spring can be pretty muddy and buggy in NH.

I was looking on Google Earth, and it seems like the urban jungle has spread as far north as Manchester. Is it still growing in the area? I like trees and somewhat rural areas I can get to. But I want to balance that with living around people also.

Is the traffic crazy like I hear Boston is? I don't have proof of the craziness as I have never been to Boston but everyone I have talked to about that agrees driving in Boston is hardcore.

Lots! some where around 200 sunny days a year. Just cause their sunny doesn't mean they are all warm however.

South eastern NH is part of Greater Boston, but with the exception of Manchester it's all pretty rural none the less. I live less than a mile from down town Nashua (a city of about 85,000) and I still see Deer in the woods behind my house. The southern side of NH is growing fast because it attracts the more freedom and conservative minded people who have to move to the Boston area for job reasons and can't stand the political climate in MA.

Boston traffic is the pits, NH traffic is not. It's taken me over two hours to get to downtown Boston in rush hour(s) before (3->95->93), but in no traffic it's about 45 mins. Traffic in NH is seldom bad, although you do get traffic jams going in and out of Manchester and Portsmouth during rush hour.

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I understand much more about Keene having spent the night watching Ridley-Report and Sam Dodson and all that. That is very interesting to say the least. Not my brand of activism in Keene. It seems like it is mostly young folks doing most of the demonstrating. I prefer a more moderate and mature form of protest. Seems like that is the place to go for 4:20.

Which brings up another question I have. I enjoy my cannabis, and I detect that writing about this is permissible here, I haven't seen any indication otherwise. I'd also guess that at least the FSP's that don't partake are not going to condemn or judge me anyways. But what is the quality and availability of cannabis? I am from Washington state and am generally impressed with the quality here. Availability is questionable, and in the local rag it seems like the cops bust someone every other week. And they do it with a smile. I bet they go to a bar afterwards and brag to their friends about how they messed up someones day. And that is another reason I want to move. Though cops around here generally leave you alone, when you run afoul or get put into the penal system, kiss your sovereignty goodbye.

Also another question I have is military presence. I live in a Navy town and have been in the area most of my life. I am tired of the general attitude of the Navy and it's associated federal workers. It's true they heavily support the economics of Bremerton (current home town) but I would be glad if they left town, not that it will happen. Folks that typically start fights around here in the bars are Squids from some landlocked state. While that is a huge stereotype it is true of at least a certain percentage of them. So to finally get to the point what is the military/federal presence around NH? Are the local economies based on that? Are any branches of military represented in the state?

freedomroad

So to finally get to the point what is the military/federal presence around NH? Are the local economies based on that? Are any branches of military represented in the state?

There aren't any major military bases in NH at all. Are there even any in MA or VT, not that I know of. I know there is at least one small one somewhere in MA. There is also at least one small one in ME. There are companies that do defense work in NH and MA.

There aren't any major military bases in NH at all. Are there even any in MA or VT, not that I know of. I know there is at least one small one somewhere in MA. There is also at least one small one in ME. There are companies that do defense work in NH and MA.

There are plenty of small bases. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard used to be a large Naval base, although it's been scaled back. The navy was going to sell it till they found out that the state (ME not NH) wanted it to go to a condo developer. Also BAE has a large presence in Nashua.

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"If it ain't broke, fix it till it is!"- The government | "Politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often, and for the same reasons!" - a friend